Mummy & Lifestyle Blogger!

Menu

Month: July 2017

I am so excited, like i can’t even explain how excited i am to be writing this review for you. So Friday the 28th of July 2017 we was invited to Chicago’s Rock Cafe in Yeovil, featuring the band Twisted Vinyl and the night was awesome. We was treated like celebrities!

Bouncing on the ball for what felt like the millionth time, I breathed a huge sigh of relief when the midwife came into the room to tell me that labour ward finally had a bed for me for them to break my waters. At this point I was overdue by 15 days with my second baby and I was very much fed up, especially because I was suffering with pelvic girdle pain which had gotten worse in the last few weeks.

My eldest arrived 13 days past her due date after I had the balloon fitted; it fell out 12 hours later when I woke up with contractions, and after a 10 hour labour I had a beautiful baby girl in my arms. I didn’t really enjoy the experience of having the balloon fitted. It was extremely uncomfortable and painful at times, but it did the trick so I was willing to try it again this time. So when the midwife at the ‘Induction of labour clinic’ examined me and said I didn’t need the balloon or the pessary and basically I just needed my waters breaking, I found myself both pleased and disappointed at the same time. The labour ward had been and still was very busy so I was told to go home and expect a call from them within the next few days, and that I would be called the next day to go in to the clinic again to be monitored with me being so far overdue. I spent the entire next day staring at my phone anxiously and annoying my other half with how fed up I was, but Labour Ward didn’t call and I was eventually asked to go to the clinic for 4.30pm.
I was made comfortable and hooked up to the machine to monitor baby’s heart rate, and after a little while I was asked to drink some water and move about a little to wake baby up to check his heart rate whilst awake. So I did exactly that and this little munchkin suddenly went from being fast asleep to having a disco meaning his heart rate went sky high. Eventually (4 hours later) he calmed down but the staff decided I should be admitted on to the ward and be on the priority list to be moved upstairs to labour ward as I was really overdue. That night I think I must have had 2 hours sleep (mixture of anxiety, it was too warm, and the lights/noises disturbed me) and I spent the following day trying to relax or bounce myself into labour. It felt strange that I was the only one in the room not in actual labour, in a way I felt as though I shouldn’t be there. It was about half an hour after my little girl had visited me that I was moved upstairs. I was over the moon to see her as she had been with her grandma for the past two nights and I had missed her so much. She cheered me up, especially when she found the midwife’s pinard horn and used it to listen to my tummy.

I’d had my heart set on giving birth in the new midwifery led labour suite (originally I wanted a home birth but my other half was worried) that was purposely built to have a more home from home feel to it, but because I was 15 days over and had the little hiccup with baby’s heart rate it was now out of the picture. Instead I was in one of the normal (and very small) labour rooms. The Dr came in to tell me that once the midwife had broken my waters then they would leave me for a few hours to see if things would get going on their own rather than hook me up to the hormone drip, and then left her to get on with it. However, she then had to call him back in because my waters were too tight around the baby’s head for her to break them, no matter how hard she tried! She then pulled a face at him as he broke them without a problem and sat looking smug at her (this was all friendly of course, she was laughing about it). After monitoring baby’s heart rate for a few minutes the midwife brought me a ball to bounce on (whoopie another one) and said she would be back in half an hour to check how I was. Well as soon as she left the room the contractions started and just kept getting stronger and closer together so that when she returned I was having around 5 or 6 in 10 minutes.

The first time around I was in labour for about 10 hours and the contractions gradually built up over that time, so in between them I had a little time to rest. This time they just kept coming one after the other and although I was glad it was a quicker labour I did find myself wishing I could have a little rest, at least just once. I wanted to be on the floor in ‘cat’ (yoga pose) which I usually found very comfortable, but I had a cannula in my hand from being on a fluid drip earlier so I couldn’t get comfortable at all. Instead I ended up staying on the bed which was easier to keep the monitor belt on me anyway. We had taken our Bluetooth speaker with us so that I could listen to my playlist I had made for the occasion, very aptly named ‘Pushing Tunes’ by my other half, so I was quite relaxed listening to that and also doing my yoga breathing. At one point I had a out 3 breaths of the gas and air but it made me instantly sick so I was put off after that.

3hours and 15 minutes after having my waters broken I had a new baby boy in my arms. I spent the first 10 minutes repeating “Oh my god” at the shock of having a boy; I come from a family of all girls so he is the first boy in the family for a long time. I also couldn’t believe just how much hair he had as my little girl was pretty much bald when she was born. I was over the moon when he latched straight on for a good feed, I’d had some trouble getting my daughter to latch properly in the early days, which is one of the reasons why I had then trained to be a support peer.

My labour wasn’t how I would have liked it to go, but it went smoothly and it was my labour. I still got to have my music, the midwives followed my lead and only stepped in when needed and even delayed the cord clamping like I had asked. I’ll keep hoping that I’ll get either a home birth or the midwifery led unit next time.

Today is Nahdia’s story. She shares with us the story of her first child.

My first child was due 17th May. After my exam I tried walking to naturally induce labour. I walked from Crystal Palace to Dulwich. While walking an uncomfortable pain in my lower back but didn’t really think to much of it at the time. But looking back on it I was in slow labour.I got to my grandmas house and decided to have a rest. I really wanted to go home but was told to wait until my mum came for me. When she did we went to see my gran Aunt, she knew something was up. She kept asking me if I was OK. All I wanted was to go home. We then took my little brother Taekwondo, during the 1 hour lesson I went to the toilet several times, I felt as if I was leaking. Eventually I got home, my sister wanted her hair cainrowed so she sat between my legs while I cainrowed her hair for over 1 hour. Sitting in this position is similar to sitting on a birthing ball.

Finally I was able to relax in bed, I put on Keeping up with the Kardashians and closed my eyes. 5 minutes later my stomach started to hurt. I felt very uncomfortable, tired and felt a new type of feeling.I went to my mums room to tell her about my pains. She advised me to get some rest. I walked out her room and slammed her door then stamped back to my room. This is not like me so my mum came to my room. I said my belly hurts and she looked at it, she said I should have a shower then we could head to the hospital.

I went in the shower. The warm water on my belly felt so good, I stayed in the shower for well over 1 hour. When I got out the shower my mum checked what I had in my hospital bag. I didn’t have any of the necessities but I had a out fit for when he comes out, a outfit for his photos, an outfit for him to go home in. I mean he was my first. We ended up repacking my hospital back then headed to the hospital.

On the way to the hospital we picked up my partner. We went up to labour ward and got checked in. The checked me and said I was 2cm diluted. Thats when it actually scared me. I wasn’t in that much pain, but the reality that I was soon going to be a mother kicked in. Will I push this baby out naturally? Can I do it? Will it hurt? Are some of the questions going through my head. I went down to post natal ward to try and rest. I was so obsessed with sitting on the toilet. I spent majority of my time on the toilet seat rather than in the bed. My baby was back to back which slowed down the labour.

I drank some hot chocolate and felt my son turn around. I then remember turning over an vomiting. The Midwife came in check me again and said I was 8cm diluted and needed to go up to labour ward. I they were taking me upstairs on the bed I shouted “I need to push” I started pushing. It was so quick, I began pushing as they pushed me into a room. My eyes were closed I don’t know how long it took but it felt like 5 mins. I couldn’t hear the midwife I just continued to push and there he came weighing 5lb 14oz my healthy, happy baby boy.

One issue that I did have during pregnancy was lack of iron. I was told to take iron tablets at 28 weeks but decided I would try to eat foods rich in iron. During labour my son came out so fast that I tore and lost a lot of blood. I lost 3 litres of blood, I remember the midwife pushing down on my stomach and hearing chunks of blood drop out. I felt like I had passed out, I remember saying I wanted to have a shower but fell asleep. I was sleeping in and out of trying to eat. I don’t remember the first hours of my sons life because I was in such a daze, it was an awful feeling. Because I lost so much blood I had a blood transfusion. I ended up staying in hospital for 4 days after birth but after that I felt ok.